Michelangelo Merisi, commonly known as Caravaggio (1571–1610), arouses a fascination with his life and work like hardly any other artist of that time. This artist overthrew the conventions of the Renaissance, disregarding the accepted ideals of beauty and the imperative of elevating reality. His masterful treatment of light and shadow, as well as a revolutionary approach to the themes of the sacred and the profane, brought about a renewal of the art of painting, making Caravaggio a forerunner of the Baroque.
